Does matching horoscopes guarantee a perfect match?

We speculate about our own weddings, our neighbour’s wedding, our fifth cousin’s wedding, celebrity weddings and whoever else we run into in the course of our lives.

The second we are born, our “rashi” or lunar birth chart is assessed by an astrologer to figure out marital details even before we sprout our first tooth. If a malefic placement of Mars is found and you’re declared a “manglik“, you’re doomed!

There’s a severe stigma attached to the word “manglik”. A few years back, the media went berserk over Indian film actress Aishwarya Rai when she was found tying the knot with a tree in a ritual to dissolve the ill-effects of mangal dosha in her horoscope before pledging allegiance to the Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.

The question is: does a compatible birth chart guarantee wedded bliss? How do you counter the curse of an angry planet?

Sundeep Koachar

Internationally renowned astrologer Sundeep Koachar, who Aishwarya and Abhishek consulted after their wedding, throws more light on the subject.

“Astrology to me is more about guidance than predictions”, he says. “Much depends on the psyche of the individuals, their ability to adapt and deal with situations. Simply checking the horoscope for compatible points is not enough for the marriage to work. It is important to analyse the nature of the person, the dasha (planetary influence) they are under and make them aware of the pitfalls.”

The word manglik instills fear. In the case of Aishwarya and Abhishek, the media apparently played more havoc than Mars. “Abhishek is a manglik too. When both partners are mangliks, the malefic influences are neutralized, making the union positive” he reinstates.

Sundeep, who recently received an Honorary Doctorate from a U.K. based university, explains further “In the Vedic age, astrology was a recognized science in South Asia. King Rama was said to have an extraordinary horoscope with eight planets exalted out of nine. Yet he had his fair share of trials and tribulations simply because of Mars in his seventh house, making him a manglik.But I personally do not believe in rituals and superstitious remedies. I encourage awareness and an effort to understand the spouse”, he says.

So why do people separate despite perfectly matching birth charts?

Sundeep’s answer comes as a surprise. “The greatest disparity is not between husband and wife but between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. I think it’s more important to match horoscopes with the mother-in-law than with the spouse”, Sundeep says with a wink.